Traffic changes coming to Wooster Ave. in Strasburg
By a 4-2 vote Tuesday, Strasburg Village Council adopted a resolution declaring support for the Ohio Department of Transportation to restripe Wooster Avenue within the village as a three-lane road. Marty Zehnder and Liz Dreher voted no. Jeff Smith, Dustin Briggs, Don Wallick and Kathy Burrier voted for the resolution.
Mayor Steve Smith said an advisory board, made up of local business and community leaders, had asked the mayor to do something about slowing down traffic. The same proposal was made in April 2021 to provide three lanes through the village. It was voted down at the time.
However, it was revisited as more traffic is coming through the village.
"It came down to the fact that doing nothing was no longer an option," Smith told The Times-Reporter.
The vote did not come without opposition from N. Wooster Avenue residents, several of whom attended the meeting. Smith pointed to the silent majority when discussing the job.
"There are a lot more people for it than there are against it," he said.
One resident said at the April 2021 meeting, a compromise was considered to only have turn lanes from Ninth Street to 12th Street in the north end of the village and from Third Street to the corporation limits in the south end. Mayor Smith said that proposal was not feasible and would confuse motorists.
Smith said if the three-lane concept does not work, the village will paint over it.
"If it proves that it's not working or if it's causing too many problems, we'll re-do it," Smith said. "We're in a situation where we've got to try something."
The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to pave state Route 21/250 through the village this summer. Wooster Avenue is that combined state route and connects with Routes 212, 93, 21/250 as well as I-77.
A resident asked what her options were. She stated she will no longer mow the curb strip, no matter how high the grass gets, and could she place boulders or stones on the curb strip. She was told stones could be used but no boulders.
“So, it’s all or nothing," the resident told Smith, “A white line along the curb will not prevent trucks from coming over the curb. I am not denying people think there is a problem, but there is no compromise.”
Zehnder said three lanes will put people’s lives in danger and that he was against the proposal.
Prior to public discussion, Solicitor Terry Seeberger explained past meetings could have gone differently. The mayor and council receive low stipends to offer services to the community.
“You may disagree, but no one is lying to you. Public participation allows everyone to speak about items on the agenda. When it is council's turn to speak, don’t interrupt. The mayor and council strive for everyone to speak for three to five minutes,” Seeberger said.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Traffic changes coming to Wooster Ave. in Strasburg
